


Stupid Cupid

by UAgirl



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friendship, Humor, Mild Angst, Romance, Set between Seasons 3 and 4, some language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:11:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10091066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UAgirl/pseuds/UAgirl
Summary: Inspired by the following prompt: "So. Let me get this straight. You want to hire me to be your date to a Valentine's party?" Daryl goes out on a limb and does something unexpected. The Prison, between seasons 3 and 4. Rating subject to change.





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

“So. Let me get this straight. You want to hire me to be your date to a Valentine’s Party?”

 

 

“Yeah. Naw. Ain’t like that. Shit.”

 

 

“Well,” Carol bit her lip to keep from laughing as the man in front of her blushed a deep, endearing pink. From the well of his bobbing throat to the tips of his almost elfin ears. Even those impressive biceps of his, well. Ahem. She really shouldn’t be openly ogling him like this when the man was clearly struggling. He was her friend, after all. Least she liked to think they were friends. And with Lori and Andrea gone, Maggie happy in her little Glenn love bubble, Beth still so young in her ways, and the Woodbury people still so unfamiliar to her, she was in sore need of the companionship and Daryl was easily the best friend she had ever had, anyway. It wouldn’t do to alienate him and send him scurrying back to the safety of his shell. “Which one is it?”

 

 

Daryl raked a rough hand through his hair, starting at the crown of his head and effectively hiding his eyes beneath the shaggy veil of his bangs. “Forget it. Ain’t nothing.”

 

 

Dog-earing the page of the book she’d been reading, Carol cast it aside, scrambling from her bunk and capturing his wrist before he could make his escape. “I didn’t say no.” His stiff shoulders relaxed, but only briefly. He remained wary, like a cornered animal afraid to take the first step toward a too-good-to-be-true trap, and her fingers itched to sweep his hair from his eyes so she could really look at him. They’d made some monumental strides in their relationship since the Quarry, but some old habits were harder to break than others. She supposed her frequent, good-natured teasing of him wasn’t really a help in this case. Serious and soft, she repeated, “I didn’t say no, Daryl.” His pulse thrummed beneath her fingertips, and it was her turn to flush awkwardly when she realized her thumb had a mind of its own and was idly stroking his skin, tracked by a hint of vivid blue.

 

 

Daryl’s fingers twitched when she withdrew her hand and let it awkwardly fall to her side. Nary a second passed before his thumb made its way to his mouth. “Don’t have to.”

 

 

Fixated on that fascinating oral habit of his, Carol didn’t immediately respond. When she did, her soft tone had devolved into smoke and longing. “What if I want to?” The moment stretched between them, and she was afraid she’d crossed that ever-present line in the sand they did their best to ignore most times when he snorted, uttered a familiar refrain.

 

 

“Stop.”

 

 

“I’m serious.”

 

 

“Pfft.”

 

 

A laugh rumbled low in his chest, and his shoulders moved ever so minutely as he turned to go. The woman who valued his friendship above almost all else was pleased, but the woman who couldn’t help wanting more bit her lip when her heart clenched painfully beneath her ribs. “Consider me hired.” She caught just a glimpse of that curled lip little half-smile of his over his broad shoulder, and her own smile returned. “I have to warn you, though.”

 

 

“Yeah?”

 

 

“I don’t come cheap. I have conditions.”

 

 

“Conditions, huh?”

 

 

Carol grinned when the flush made its way back to his cheeks. “Conditions.”

 

 

“You gonna tell me about ‘em?”

 

 

“In due time, Dixon.” The look he gave her was more amused than frustrated, and her cheeks started to hurt from the smile that stretched wide and bright across her face as those conditions started to take shape in her own mind.

 

 

A tiny groan spilled free from Daryl’s mouth. “Don’t like that look.”

 

 

“Got to give you something to think about on your long, lonely watch shift,” Carol quipped, turning on her heel and practically prancing back to her bunk. Picking up her forgotten book, she shooed him away. “Go on. I’m sure Glenn’s waiting.” The heavy curtain hanging in front of her cell fell back into place, and she could hear Daryl muttering beneath his breath as he walked away.

 

 

“The fuck have I done?”

 

 

Only then did she laugh.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pookie gets his first taste of Carol's *conditions*, lol.

**Stupid Cupid**

* * *

**xx2xx**

* * *

 

 

 

 

Like a little yellow bumblebee buzzing happily from flower to flower the next morning during their shared breakfast shift, Beth moved from pan to pan, dipping a spoon in here, adding a pinch too much salt there, and generally bubbling with teenaged excitement. “A party! I think it’ll be fun. Don’t you?”

 

 

 

“Hmm,” Carol hummed, giving the young girl a gentle nudge and taking her place before she depleted their precious supply of the seasoning in her distraction.

 

 

 

Beth tilted her head, and her ponytail bobbed. “It’s weird, though. Daddy’s not even sure anymore if it’s February. It could be St. Patty’s Day for all we know.”

 

 

 

“Could be,” Carol agreed. Though time had taken on a different meaning for her altogether with the uprising of the dead and the loss of her girl, she was fairly certain Hershel’s estimations weren’t far off. They had to be in the right month, at least. When all was said and done, though, it didn’t much matter to her whatever month it was or wasn’t. She was still here and that counted the most.

 

 

 

“You going with anybody? Well, it’s not really like we’re going anywhere, but you know what I mean.”

 

 

 

Carol opened her mouth to answer her, but the teen didn’t give her a chance, rambling on with pink cheeks about how the new boy Zach had slipped her a handwritten note the night before in the dinner line. Never one to pass up a chance to tease a loved one, Carol congratulated the youngest Greene on the budding relationship. “Zach. Oh, Zach. He’s pretty cute.”

 

 

 

“Who’s pretty cute?” Carl asked with a grin, his sleepy baby sister cuddled in his arms.

 

 

 

His hair fell into his eyes, and Carol’s mother’s heart stuttered painfully at the hopeful look he cast Beth when the girl wasn’t looking. Stepping around the table to take Judith into her arms, she kissed the baby’s cherub cheeks. “Why, this little one, of course!”

 

 

 

Carl’s brows knit, and his nose wrinkled. “I thought you said…”

 

 

 

 

Daryl pushed past him, grabbed a bowl from Beth’s waiting hands. He didn’t bother with the spoon she offered him, and Carl’s uncomfortable line of questioning was thankfully lost when he grimaced with disgust at Daryl’s complete disregard for table manners. “What you staring at?”

 

 

 

Beth giggled and Carl moved along with an annoyed huff.

 

 

 

Carol hid her smirk in the baby’s soft cloud of strawberry hair and her wince when he stuck his fingers in his mouth and sucked the bits of oatmeal clean before reaching out and tweaking one of Judith’s socked feet. “You’re lucky.”

 

 

 

“How’s that?”

 

 

 

She simply shook her head, choosing not to elaborate, as some of the folks from Woodbury started to stream in, along with Maggie who joined her sister in serving the hungry newcomers. “Just are.”

 

 

 

Daryl’s lips quirked in acknowledgement, and he welcomed Judith into his one-armed embrace when the baby reached for him, grunting in his efforts to keep her greedy little fingers away from the remains of his own breakfast. It was a comical juggling act, and he finally gave up the foreign act of resisting the little girl.

 

 

 

His generosity (Carol couldn’t think of his soft spot for Lori’s little girl any other way) earned him a sticky little hand tangled in his hair and a gummy, drooling kiss to his scruff and Carol damn near melted on the spot before she snapped out of it and gently pried the infant from his arms. “You can’t eat Uncle Daryl for breakfast.”

 

 

 

“Pity.”

 

 

 

Daryl’s ears immediately reddened, and an unconscious scowl soured his mouth.

 

 

 

His rough hand grabbed at her shirt in something akin to panic, and his bumbled proposition the night before suddenly started to make a whole lot more sense to Carol. Lifting a questioning brow at him, she received a tiny dip of his chin in answer. Satisfied, she slowly turned around, sweet smile in place, to greet the pretty brunette. “Karen, hi.” Judith continued to reach for Daryl, pushing her little toes into Carol’s belly and grabbing the low neck of her shirt in a failed attempt to gain leverage while the other woman fumbled her way through some awkward morning pleasantries.

 

 

 

“Carol, right?”

 

 

 

“That’s me.” Carol’s smile grew even bigger and brighter, if possible, in response to the amount of hero worship shining in the Woodbury woman’s eyes, and she softened a little bit, because she had certainly been there. Lived there, in fact. She really couldn’t blame the woman, and it wasn’t like she some ogre or something. From all accounts, she was one of the more well-liked newcomers. All that said, Carol wasn’t a saint, and this whole situation was just rife with opportunity. Fumbling for the hand that still held her shirt in a death grip, she pulled it around to her front and held it there, tucked just beneath her breasts. Shooting off a tiny prayer that she wasn’t overstepping the bounds of the little arrangement they had agreed to and that Daryl couldn’t feel just how hard and erratically her heart was pounding, she staked her fake claim. “I’m sure you heard about the party in a few days?”

 

 

 

“The party? Yes, I did. It sounds like a great way for everybody to get to know each other better.”

 

 

 

“It does, doesn’t it?” From there, the conversation only grew more awkward, and by the time it was finished and Karen was gone, Carol was fit to be tied. Because Daryl was a solid wall of heat at her back, and she was well on her way to becoming a helpless puddle. Her only saving grace was the baby, whose frustration had reached its limit. Thankfully, Carl was on hand to reclaim his sister, and Carol willfully ignored the incredulous looks both Greene girls were giving her as she let herself sag back in Daryl’s unwitting embrace for a few seconds later. “Think she got the message?”

 

 

 

Daryl’s answer was a low rumble that made goosebumps break out all over her skin. “Think it done the trick.” He withdrew his hand and awkwardly averted his eyes when she turned to face him, mumbled an expression of gratitude. “Thanks. This, uh. This one of your conditions?”

 

 

 

Carol’s fingers worked to adjust her shirt, where a fair amount of freckled cleavage was on display thanks to Judith’s earlier stubborn efforts, and bit her lip to hold back the smile that threatened, her cheeks flaming just as much or more so than Daryl’s own. “And if it is?”

 

 

 

Daryl rubbed a shaky hand over his face and swore.

 

 

 

Hooking a finger in the neck of his shirt, Carol let her smile reign free as she drew him closer and whispered, “Just remember, Pookie. I did warn you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews would be much appreciated. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol gets her first taste of dealing with the aftermath of that little scene at breakfast.

**Stupid Cupid**

* * *

**xx3xx**

* * *

 

 

They went their separate ways after breakfast, and that was a good thing.  While Daryl slipped away to catch up on some sleep after his late-night watch shift, Carol sought out a little solitude of her own to get her reawakened hormones and her conflicting emotions under control.  All too soon, she realized there was no such thing in the halls of their growing community, and when she found herself cornered in their makeshift laundry station by a giddy Beth and a smugly smiling Maggie, she resigned herself to her fate without much of a fight.  Best to get it over with, after all.  “Okay.” 

 

 

 

 

That single word was all the permission Beth needed.  Bouncing on the balls of her feet, the teen flung her arms around Carol’s neck and squealed, her blue eyes happy and her smile wide. 

 

 

Maggie was more reserved but only marginally.  “What _was_ that out there?” 

 

 

Carol feigned innocence.  “What was what?” 

 

 

Maggie rolled her eyes and pulled Carol’s hand away when she tried to use it to hide her hint of a smile.  “Don’t play dumb.  You.  Daryl.  That little show you put on for Karen.  He was holding your hand.  You two were _vertically_ _spooning_.” 

 

 

Carol sputtered with helpless laughter.  “ _Vertically_ _spooning_?  You make it sound so… _obscene_.” 

 

 

“Well, you might as well have been naked.”  Maggie’s grin was wholly unapologetic. 

 

 

Beth giggled and chastised her older sister.  “Maggie!” 

 

 

Maggie shrugged.  “With that man, handholding is tantamount to having sex in public.  We all know it.” 

 

 

This time, Carol did the reprimanding, with a teasing twinkle in her eyes, “Daryl’s a very private person.  I’m sure you and Glenn wouldn’t understand that.” 

 

 

Far from being offended, Maggie’s amusement merely multiplied tenfold, and she gave Carol’s hand a warm squeeze.  “Seriously.  I’m happy for you two.” 

 

 

“Me, too,” Beth beamed, offering up another happy hug.    

 

 

Overwhelmed in that moment, Carol felt her eyes grow warm with tears both of gratitude and guilt, and she smiled to downplay the show of emotion.  “Thank you.  Now.  What does one wear to a party at the end of world?”

 

 

Maggie grinned.  “Don’t you worry about that.  I’m sure we’ll find you something just perfect.” 

 

**< 3<3<3**

That evening, Carol was in the library packing up the books and the art supplies the children had left behind when a shadow darkened the doorway.  Without looking up, she knew it was him.  She always knew.  She figured she had the distinct sound of his footsteps memorized by now.  She waited for him to speak before she turned around with a small smile. 

 

 

“Hey.” 

 

 

“Miss me, Pookie?” 

 

 

He answered her with the Daryl version of a laugh and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. 

 

 

“Oh, you’re good.” 

 

 

“The hell you going on ‘bout?” 

 

 

Scooping up a stack of construction paper hearts in her hands, Carol regarded him curiously for a second.  “You really don’t know?” 

 

 

The flush that slowly crept across his neck was a dead giveaway, nevertheless Daryl persisted in playing dumb.  “Don’t know what?” 

 

 

The flustered attempt at denial was Daryl in a nutshell, and Carol was torn between the equal urges to shake him and squeeze him to her in a breath-stealing embrace.  “We’re the Prison’s new _it_ couple.  Of course, we’d want a little bit of privacy.”  

 

 

“Stop.” 

 

 

He was damned cute when he blushed like a little boy, and for that reason alone, Carol decided to take her teasing up another notch or two.  “According to Maggie and Beth, we’re official now.  No point anymore in hiding our love.”  His muffled _Fuck_ had her laughing outright.  “Relax.  Public sex isn’t one of my conditions.  Although…”    

 

 

“Don’t have to enjoy this so much, Woman.”    

 

 

 

Carol grinned, nudged his arm with her own as she slipped past him and walked toward the front of the room.  She traded the paper hearts for the small hurricane lantern stationed on a table there and waited for him to approach her.  “Ready to hear the rest of my conditions?” 

 

 

“Don’t know if I’ll ever be fuckin’ ready.  But go ahead.” 

 

 

_Oh, Pookie,_ Carol thought _.  I have you right where I want you.  “_ Well, you already know number one.” 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is love.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are welcome. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


End file.
